The Failed Audition (Circus Is Family) by Becca Ritchie

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Becca Ritchie

Krista Ritchie

The Failed Audition (Circus Is Family)

Name: The Failed Audition (Circus Is Family)
Availability: InStock
Rating: 4.6 (1212 reviews)
Author: Becca Ritchie
ISBN: 9781950165292

Becca Ritchie

(Author)

4.6

1,212 ratings

Love is a circus

Thora James has one dream. Become an aerialist in Amour, the sexy new acrobatic show on the Vegas strip.

Her dreams do not include:

1. Meeting Nikolai Kotova the night before her audition
1. Losing a bet to that confident, charming, and devilishly captivating six-foot-five "God of Russia"
1. Letting that devil pierce an...intimate part of her
1. Walking into her audition and seeing him there

So when Thora fails the most important audition of her life and refuses to give up her dream, Nikolai feels compelled to protect the innocent, Midwest girl with dark-as-night eyes.

But Sin City is ready to swallow Thora whole, and with Nikolai being her ultimate protector, Thora starts realizing her dreams might be changing.

And that's her greatest fear of all.

This sexy and unputdownable Contemporary Romance can best be described as Cirque du Soleil meets the steamy, athletic romance of Center Stage.

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ISBN-10

1950165299

ISBN-13

978-1950165292

Print length

442 pages

Language

English

Publisher

K.B. Ritchie LLC

Publication date

January 13, 2021

Dimensions

5.5 x 0.98 x 8.5 inches

Item weight

1.23 pounds

Product details

ASIN :

B00QVXOFME

File size :

4702 KB

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Editorial Reviews

"I loved the setting for this book. It was downright magical. The world-building was fantastic and I felt like I was living every performance with them." - Kimberlyfaye Reads

"Amour Amour is so different to any other NA book I've read. It inspired me so much, It truly belongs in a league of it's own." - Lily's Book Blog

"I was loving the sexual tension, the flirty innuendo the fun familial banter, and the constant push and support to be better and never give up. For me this is prob one of my fave reads of 2014!" - Kelli C for "Cross", Goodreads Top Reviewer

"Oh my goodness, this book. It just did it for me. I devoured it in one day. I couldn't put it down, I fell head-over-heels in love with it and it's stuck with me ever since." - Smitten's Book Blog

"It's the kind of story that starts off with a bang and by the end your heart feels so full of love for every damn character you've grown to love. I didn't want to leave their world, and there's no doubt I'll be returning for a re-read the second I get the chance." - My Secret Romance

"Wow, this book left me speechless. It's so incredibly good." - Beyond Boyfriend Reviews

Sample

PROLOGUE

“You really want to do this?” Shay asks me for the tenth time. He plops roughly on the edge of my bed, wearing red, athletic Ohio State shorts and nothing more. Beside him, trade paperbacks thud onto the hardwood. My paranormal romances are so tattered and ragged, the ground won’t hurt them.

I pluck more leotards off hangers in my dorm closet and chuck them into my rolling suitcase. Shay said he’d help me pack, but I rephrased that to: watching me pack. He’s not the kind of friend that will neatly organize my toiletries into a shower caddy. I mean, when he saw a box of tampons on my dresser, he steered five-feet clear of it.

But he’s not here for moral support either. “If I don’t at least try, I’ll regret it forever,” I tell him.

“That’s what you said the first time you had sex, Thora. And once you tried it, you actually regretted it.”

I spin to him, and he raises his brows at me like I’m right. You know I’m right.

Okay. He may be right about that incident. My first time was in a hurry. At eighteen, I thought it was “time” and had a one-night stand with a guy from a no-themed dorm party. Cheap vodka may have been an advocate for the deflowering. It was sloppy and unmemorable. It also hurt, even with the boozy cocktail.

My second time was no better. Led to believe it wouldn’t hurt as much, I slept with one of Shay’s friends on our fourth date. It ended with a dissatisfied customer—me. It hurt again. A third time is probably needed. I won’t judge sex yet. But so far, it’s not that epic. Let’s just say, I’m not eighteen, chasing after it anymore.

I’m twenty-one and chasing after things with higher payouts of happiness.

“I tried it the wrong way,” I tell him, a white leotard heavy in my hands.

“Twice,” he says, raising his fingers to demonstrate the exact number of regrets. I try not to dwell on them for long. There’s no use.

“This isn’t going to be like that,” I say.

He’s quiet for a moment. Shay does that a lot. It’s not as though he’s waiting for me to interject. It’s like he’s pooling all of his thoughts and emotions together. Ready to let me hear them in one fatal blow.

I prepare with a deep breath.

And he says, “You mean I’m not going to have to fly out to Vegas and pick up a sullen Thora James when all her hopes and dreams are crushed?”

I’m not angry at his proclamation; I just take it all in for what it is. But when I catch my expression in my floor-length mirror, a dark scowl tightens my facial muscles. It’s my normal look, unfortunately. I have RBF (resting bitch face). It’s one-hundred percent real.

When I first met Shay—thirteen, at a Cincinnati gymnastics gym—he pointed out my contorted, angered features. I was walking the balance beam with as much concentration as I could muster. Not annoyed. Just focused. And he sauntered over, resting his forearms at the end.

“Are you about to have a fight with the beam?” He smiled. “I bet I know who’s going to win.”

That day, Shay startled me so much that I slipped and fell on the mat. If I was fighting with the beam at all, I lost that battle right then. And I had no good retort back. I simply stood up, climbed on, and tried to walk it again.

In my dorm room, I open and close my jaw to relax my muscles. I look silly, but “content” isn’t in my catalog of expressions. Unfortunate, again.

When I’ve successfully hidden RBF, I tell him, “I’ve wanted to be an aerialist since I was fourteen. This shouldn’t be surprising, Shay.”

He gestures to me, his six-pack and sculpted torso flexing. “I always thought you were joking around. Everyone says they want to do things that they never end up doing: acting, singing—wait.” Shay pauses. Not one of those long ones. It’s shorter. “Can you even dance, Thora?” His brown brows pinch like I’m insane for trying to join the circus.

It’s not the traveling circus with fortunetellers and elephants. I’m not running off to escape something. Many gymnasts and other athletes, like Olympic divers, have joined Aerial Ethereal, in hopes of being an artist. A performer. An acrobat. Something more spectacular and extraordinary.

“I took three rhythmic gymnastic classes, remember?” I say, folding the white leotard while I watch his features.

His face scrunches in confusion and then he groans. “Thora, you were fifteen.”

“And I was a fucking great fifteen-year-old rhythmic dancer.” I really wasn’t. I remember staying after to learn the choreography, determined to nail it. I never did. Not as well as the other girls. But I tried. I really tried.

After setting the leotard in my suitcase, I near him and gather the paperbacks on the floor. I plan to add them to my overflowing suitcase. I’ve never been much of a partier. I’ll attend two a semester, my quota.

“Let me get this straight,” Shay says, watching me collect my books. “There’s one opening in a circus show—”

“Amour,” I say, piling six books in my arms.

“Whatever,” he continues, refusing to even acknowledge the name of my dream. “It’s in Vegas, and you were called back because of a video that you sent in doing…what?”

“A double layout.” Plus some contortionist tricks. I didn’t have a partner, so I used the balance beam to do a handstand. Then I curved my legs over my shoulders, my toes meeting my fingers.

Shay gives me a look like I’ve officially lost my mind. “I can do a double layout in my sleep. That doesn’t mean I’m qualified to join the circus.”

Shay started gymnastics at five. I started late, at thirteen. Suffice it to say, his double layouts are more beautiful than mine. Like a fine wine to a Two Buck Chuck.

He’s not the Clyde to my Bonnie or the Damon to my Elena. Shay is and will always be the Lucas to my Haley. A great, protective friend. Like that of One Tree Hill. Who will point out the storm ahead for me while I choose to relish in the sunshine.

“It’s not just about technique,” I explain. “I mean, that matters, but I’ve read on forum boards that they’ve turned down Olympic gymnasts for someone that looks the part. It’s about luck too.”

He skims my body in a slow wave: my dirty-blonde hair, my short five-foot-two frame, my wide hips, an hour-glass shape with muscular arms and shoulders. Add in longer legs and a shorter torso—I become a balancing hazard at first sight.

But I can balance fine. After years of practice, I’m much better than I used to be. But this dedication didn’t stop my ass or boobs from growing. Both of which are larger than they probably should be for my sport.

I’m built like a normal girl, who picked up gymnastics later in life.

I’m average. And the longer Shay stares at me, I feel it. And I want to be more than that. Doesn’t everyone?

“And what are they looking for exactly?” His eyes land on my C-cups. “Is there partial nudity or something?”

“Uh…no.” I wish I had a better comeback.

“It’s called Amour,” he says, worry flashing in his light blue eyes. “Did you even think of that, Thora? What if they ask you to strip on stage?”

“It’s not that kind of show.” I turn my back on him, packing my books on top of my leotards.

“How do you know? It’s one of the newer shows in Vegas,” he retorts, shooting to his feet. “There aren’t any videos online for it; I’ve looked.”

I glance over my shoulder. “It’s run out of Aerial Ethereal. In the entire troupe’s collection of shows, there’s not nudity in even one of them.” I hold on to this fact, but I silently wonder if I’d be brave enough to join a more risqué show. To be in the circus, I think I’d do a lot more than Shay would want me to.

I hear him huff behind me. “So you’re going to fly out on a whim. And what happens if you miraculously land the role?” He doesn’t think I’ll be offered the position. I’m not talented enough. My dad practically said that on the phone yesterday: The other girls are in a different league, Thora. Don’t get your hopes up. I know. I’m not the best, but I want to believe that I have some sort of shot. Even if it’s small.

“I’ll stay in Vegas and perform for the year.” A light energy bursts in my heart at that idea. It feels like happiness. A type of love that people search for all their lives.

“It’s summer. Conditioning for the girl’s gymnastics team starts in two weeks,” he reminds me. “You’ll lose your scholarship.”

It’s all a gamble, I realize. And I’m scared. I’ve never left Ohio for more than a week-long vacation, never by myself. But this is my one shot. If I don’t try now, I may never have another opportunity. And I’m tired of learning about finance and accounting as a back-up plan to the life that I want. The one that I can obtain right now.

So I’m going for it. Every part of my body says to jump and fly, no matter how hard voices like Shay and my parents try to ground me. I understand their realism, but I don’t want to look back and regret not taking the plunge.

“It’s a risk,” I say softly, sitting on my suitcase as I zip it.

When he meets my eyes, he shakes his head at me. “You’re one in a million, Thora. It’s a pipe dream, you realize this?”

I nod. “Yeah, I know. But if I don’t believe in myself, then who will?”

He lets out another heavy breath. “You know what this is like—watching my best friend enter a burning building, knowing it’s going to collapse on her.”

I must be scowling harder because he rolls his eyes at me.

“In short, I hate you right now,” he says.

“Right back at you.” That was a lame, kindergarten phrase. I sigh in frustration. I suck at bantering, even with someone I’ve known for years.

He laughs though, but it fades as soon as he watches me. Another long quiet moment passes between us. “Be safe, okay?”

I nod again. “Be happy, alright?”

“I am.”

I smile, and my phone buzzes on the single bed. He’s closest to it, and he grabs the cell. His eyes must graze the text on the screen. “Who’s Camila?”

I left this part out to Shay. I thought he’d freak even more if he knew my plans. If our roles were reversed, I’d be a little worried for him too. But he’s a guy, so the level of protection he needs on his own seems different, even if it shouldn’t be.

“Camila is the girl that I’m staying with during my auditions,” I say.

“She’s another gymnast?” He passes me my phone.

“Not exactly…”

His lips part. Shay has this All-American look: a suitable body and face for Abercrombie. The short cut of his light-brown hair, the curve of his biceps. But I’ve only seen those lips part like that for me. In shock and worry. They part in lust for girls on the track team.

“Who is she then?” he asks.

“I found her on this couch-surfing website, and we exchanged numbers.”

He rests his hands on his head in distress. “No.”

“Yes,” I say. “I’m going couch-surfing. It’s supposed to be real and safe…I did some research.”

“Have you seen her?” he asks valid questions.

“No, but she seems nice in texts.” Off his growing wide-eyes, I add, “It’s nearly free and way cheaper than a hotel. The plane tickets were expensive.” Since my parents weren’t one-hundred percent on board with my life choices, they said I should handle all the expenses. I’m an adult now, my dad said. He’s right in a lot of ways.

Shay starts, “If I didn’t have conditioning this week—”

“You’d fly out with me?”

His whole body goes rigid. “I was going to say that I’d drive to your parent’s house and have them convince you to stay.”

“They already know what’s happening.” I have a very hard time lying to my parents. I went to one party in high school and blabbed to my mom and dad the minute I snuck back inside. My mom made me ice cream, and I dished to her about the uneventful night.

“And they’re okay with it?”

“They’re a lot like you, actually,” I say with a smile.

“It’s not funny, Thora.”

I think I’m smiling and scowling to hide my fear. It grows the longer he talks to me, and I’d rather stay confident.

“He could be a dude,” Shay adds, pointing at my cellphone. “He could want to fuck you…or worse—kill you.”

Chills run down my spine. “We’re meeting at a nightclub where she works. It’s a public place.” I’ll know if she’s a pervy dude or creep then.

Shay is quiet for a second, and he stares hard at me, like he can break my optimism and my plans with a single, narrowed look.

He can’t. I won’t let him.

“You have one year left at college,” he says, “and you’re going to throw it all away?”

I shake my head. “It’s the opposite,” I tell him. “My life is just beginning.”

Becca Ritchie

Krista & Becca Ritchie are New York Times and USA Today bestselling authors and identical twins--one a science nerd, the other a comic book geek--but with their shared passion for writing, they combined their mental powers as kids and have never stopped telling stories. They love superheroes, flawed characters, and soul mate love.

For more information visit www.kbritchie.com

Stay up to date on new releases, bonus content, and more by signing up for Krista & Becca's newsletter. To sign up, copy and paste this link into your browser: www.kbritchie.com/newsletter.html

Reviews

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5

1,212 global ratings

Mia Castillo

Krista and Becca have done it again!

Reviewed in the United States on December 16, 2014

Verified Purchase

Ah, where do I begin??? I've been anticipating this book ever since K&B announced they were doing a book about the circus. Ever since I read The Night Circus, books about the circus peaked my interest. To be honest, this book was not what I expected... It was even better! :D There were so many parts that hit home. Especially when Thora would keep trying and failing and then get discouraged to the point where she wanted to quit. I feel that on so many levels, man. As a person who got rejected to my college's Nursing Program a lot, at one point, I've felt that I wasn't good enough and I should choose a new career path. Thinking that, I felt so lost because I've worked my butt off for this for so long that I didn't know what else to do. I'm still trying and Thora's determination and success gives me hope. (: It would be nice (really really nice lol) if I had Nikolai to tell me I was good enough and to not give up (and kiss me. what? I didn't say that), though. But I can be my own cheerleader like Thora lol Still, it would be nice to have Nikolai by my side haha! And omg, VEGAS. I mean, I live in Vegas (lol), but it was nice have a book set in my hometown. Especially a book by Krista and Becca :3 I felt closer to it and its characters :3 They pretty much got it down to the T. thumbs up emoji I thought they were on point with the Vegas life. Well, the things that happen in The Strip area lol Every time I look at it now, I think of Nikolai and Thora living so near me even though they're fictional! Lol Plus, there are studio apartments just a little farther from The Strip that it was what I imagined Thora's place to be at. It's probably a little fancier, but still my imagination of the where she would be lol I wish The Masquerade was real. And The Red Death. And Amour. And Nikolai LOL The Red Death would be a club I would go to lol though, I'd probably pretend to be taken and wear the green necklace so that creepers wouldn't go up to me hahahah What else? Oh!!! ADDICTED SERIES REFERENCES LET ME CRY. It was surreal, even to me, that everyone in the gang are famous haha It's probably because we know the real them from reading their POVs a lot that they seem like regular people, but this book sort of brings you to Addicted Series reality and realize they have a tv show, they're rich, and they're famous lol Love. Love. Love it. Also, the scene where the title NOW makes better sense to me lol GENIUS. I love it. So much. Makes me love the title more now and to keep it as my Tumblr title header thingy lol AND ANOTHER THING. The Kotova Family. Yes. Especially Nikolai's immediate family (Timo, Luka, Katya --God, those names are FAN. TASTIC). A million times yes. Looking out for each other - a billion times yes. Nikolai choosing to stay and raise them - A TRILLION TIMES YESSSS. Yes. Yes. Yes. Loved it. All of it. Family parts hits home as well. I'm very protective of my siblings.

Also, a praise to John Ruiz. I felt his character deep into my black soul lolol And he's gay. YES. YES TO ALL GAY CHARACTERS. Timo, I see you. And I love you, too. These two were so fun to read. Especially when together. John being gay caught me by surprise because he reminded me of Ryke so much that, at one point, I thought they were the same person LOL John's character is so unique to me. I've never come across someone gay (fiction or non) who was so brooding lol I LOVE IT, THOUGH. And how him and Timo are the total opposites and still the ship sailed! Yes. I was on that ship before I even knew I was on it lol

Luka gets his own little paragraph because I just love Luka. He's the middle child... ish. Like me! Without the ish because I'm the second out of three lol but I felt a connection with him. He wasn't as rebellious as Timo, but he wasn't reserved either lol He was very helpful when Nikolai needed him. Like his right-hand man. :3 I just love Luka. I love his name, character, everything. I want to hug him. Can I keep him, KB?

There were some parts we didn't get to see in this book that I wish I did. Like they would build it to the end of the chapter and then solve it by the beginning of the next without elaborating. It popped my happy balloon a few times, but that's okay. I understand that it would probably make it 5 times bigger than it is.

Overall, this book was gold. Krista and Becca have done it again! I just wish we got more Thora and Nikolai and not just a standalone of their story because I have now grown attached to them lol if I could give this more than 5 stars I would! This book makes me want to watch a Cirque de Souleil show now lol I lived in Vegas for 12 years now and I still haven't seen one of them :\

2 people found this helpful

Julie H

Thora & Nikolai

Reviewed in the United States on April 10, 2015

Verified Purchase

MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS - Thora is a simple girl from Ohio, a gymnast with a aerial setup in her garage since she's dreamed of joining the Aerial Ethereal group in Vegas. There is no way she has enough training to meet the rigors of a show that is most likely similar to Cirque du Soleil. But God bless Thora, she puts everything on the line to take a shot at her dreams, including sleeping on the couch of a stranger, risking losing her college scholarship too. "Couch surfer" - that was a new term for me & I was scared for Thora, does she not realize this is Vegas?? Even Nikolai warns her "Vegas is going to swallow you whole, myshka." So another lucky strike for Thora - she meets Nikolai, the God of Russia, the premiere dancer in Aerial Ethereal, in a club one night. Neither of them realize she will soon be auditioning to be his partner in Amour & although they have chemistry in spades, her lack of training shows, she is overshadowed & lacks passion. "Resting bitch face" - another new one for me! Apparently this describes Thora with her dark, sometimes black, eyes & her permanent scowl. Not very realistic again, but luckily Thora has good people around her - roommate Camila, her cousin John, and Nikolai who offers to train her. He thinks she is brave, stupid but brave, for staying & she doesn't want to live with regret, even if she has to lie to her parents. Little does Thora know that Nikolai is training her for her dream part in a performance. Nikolai is spectacular in many different ways. He stayed in Vegas to take care of three of his siblings & Thora loves the family he's created. Her job until she can audition again is really beneath her, basically one step up from being a stripper, instead of a pole she uses an aerial hoop. There comes a pivotal moment when even this terrible job won't cut it & her parents want her to come home. I can't even write this without tears in my eyes - THIS is why Nikolai is fantastic. He looks Thora in the eye and tearfully tells her he doesn't love her. It is obvious she needs to stay for the circus & only for the circus. He can't be responsible for her staying for him. It is obvious I adored this book but a few things bothered me. Although their physical connection is intense & passionate it was too realistic for me. What? I know, weird thing to say but they both have gorgeous bodies at the end of the spectrum, Nikolai super tall & BIG (if you get my drift), Thora super short & TINY. Thora constantly talks about how painful it is & it made it less sexy for me. In the end Nik becomes more aggressive but makes sure Thora is very prepared before he gives it to her good. Also Nikolai gets to pierce Thora's nipple after she loses a bet when they first meet. No big deal...ok, not true. Nipple piercings hurt like crap!! So that's my tiny beef with the book but for me if Nik nailed her with his enormous "talent" & Thora burst into flames, I would have enjoyed the book much more. Favorite quotes: "Am I a mistake?" No, myshka. You're just the unexpected beautiful thing in my life." And when Thora is worried that they won't "fit" together: "I'll be able to fit deep inside you. And when I do, you're going to be entirely full of me." My favorite sexual part was actually funny - Nikolai picks up the vampire smut book of Thora's & reads some of the lines out loud & she just about orgasms right there just from him speaking to her!! The ending was a little too pat & tidy but ok. Nikolai says Amour Amour - his two loves, the circus and Thora, his two passions that can be at perfect balance.

Lacey @ Booklovers For Life

An exhilarating, unique, inspiring, sexy book that I couldn’t put down!

Reviewed in the United States on May 1, 2015

Verified Purchase

I am so. in. loooove with Krista & Becca Ritchie’s books!!! They are one of the few authors I can trust – they can literally write anything and I will not hesitate to read it. Their Addicted series is one of my TOP favorite series in the whole wide world, so of course I had to read their standalone!

Amour Amour was SO MUCH FUN to read!!!! It was an exhilarating, unique, inspiring, sexy book that I couldn’t put down! I fell in love with the characters and their stories. I honestly wished it would never end, and I’m a bit sad that it’s a standalone. It ends fantastically but… I wanted more!!!

“You have one year left at college,” he says, “and you’re going to throw it all away?” I shake my head. “It’s the opposite,” I tell him. “My life is just beginning.”

Our heroine, Thora James, gives up everything to move to Las Vegas for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. She wants to audition for a role as an acrobat in the show Amour, but it is NOT easy. First, she has to deal with the fallout of leaving college, her family, and her best friend to take a chance at something she could absolutely fail at. I, for one, was so impressed with Thora. If I were in her shoes, I sure as hell wouldn’t have the guts to go through what she did.

Lucky for her, on the first day of Thora’s move to Vegas, she meets the leading performer of Amour, Nikolai Kotova, at his after-show. He offers to train Thora, and Thora now has to endure grueling, exhausting practices with the sexiest man she’s ever met. Nikolai six feet five inches of raw, masculine power. In Thora’s own words:

"He is power. Man. And strength. He is charm and desire and indestructible things."

I adooored Nikolai!! He’s a bit standoffish in the beginning, but when he and Thora keep up with training and spend more time in and out of practices, they warm up to each other. Their romance is fairly slow paced, but it’s genuine and there is a wicked hot chemistry between them. I loved the dynamics between Thora and Nikolai when they were together. They’re funny, tender, sexy, and they felt so real to me that I wished they existed in real life! I loved how Nikolai is so supportive of Thora and her dreams. He definitely stole my heart.

“The things greater than us, Thora, they’re not impossible. It’s just fear talking, telling you that you can’t when you can. I know you can.”

The most fascinating part of Amour Amour is definitely the world of the circus. I was utterly immersed in the circus life, and I applaud the authors for doing such an incredible job of introducing something that I knew nothing about and not letting it be too overwhelming. The circus came to life in this book, and I was riveted the entire time.

The Kotovas, Nikolai’s family, also make up a large part of the story. Timo, Katya, and Luka are Nikolai’s younger siblings who are also part of the circus life. They’re so full of life and character, and it’s so easy to be charmed by them, as Thora was. Thora came to Vegas completely alone, but now, with the Kotovas, she’s created a new family.

It’s tough going for Thora as she continues on with auditions, and my heart was aching with her mounting frustrations. If she fails, she’ll have given up everything with nothing to show for it. But if she succeeds and lands a role, she’ll have to leave Nikolai. But can she leave Nikolai if she’s fallen in love with him?

“Don’t love me more than your dreams, myshka. Because I love you too much to let you give them up for me.”

I loved this book. It’s a fantastic read about chasing your dreams and never giving up on them. The writing is impeccable and the story had me hooked. It did take me a while to warm up to all the characters, but once I did, I fell in love with each one of them. Krista & Becca Ritchie’s characters all take a life of their own and manage to steal my heart. I highly recommend Amour Amour – the story and characters will sweep you away!

Andrea

Cannot recommend enough!!

Reviewed in the United States on January 16, 2017

Verified Purchase

I was so nervous to read this book. I make no secret of my love for these authors, the Addicted Series is one of my all-time favorite series, and I was so nervous because I really wanted this book to be just as great. And in a world filled with generic NA books, these author always manage to make their stories unique and beautiful.

The Ritchie sisters know how to write amazing characters. One of my favorite things about the Addicted Series are the characters, and their relationships between each other, whether it’s familial, friendly, or romantic. Amour Amour is no different, this book has an amazing set of characters, and their relationships with each other feel genuine and realistic.

Thora James has one more year of college to go before she decides to leave it all behind and follow her dream of joining the show Amour in Las Vegas. The Richie sisters always write such amazing female characters (I mean they created the Calloway sisters, goddesses all of them.) Thora was wonderful. She experiences so much growth throughout the story. I mean, quitting college to pursue your goals while everyone doubts you takes some serious bravery and I found it extremely admirable.

In her first night at Vegas she meets Nikolai Kotova, one of the stars of Amour. His relationships with his younger siblings and his unconditional support for Thora made him a memorable hero and I loved his brutal honesty.

The side characters are incredibly well developed, specifically John and the Kotova siblings. They felt so real, and you could feel their ambition, kindness, and talent. They bring humor into the story and fill it with heart-warming moments.

With themes of self-discovery and following your dreams, Amour Amour was a brutally honest read. Thora pushes herself, both emotionally and physically to get to her goals and the amount of road blocks she faced was heartbreaking. And while there is a romance, hello it’s called Amour Amour, it never took over the story, and it wasn’t the main focus.

Overall, this is an NA book that avoids the typical NA cliches and I highly recommend it. If you haven’t checked out any of the Ritchie twins’ books, well, you should.

P.S. I really think a John and Timo book is needed after Infini. (I hope and pray for this) But that’s just me.

Kim B.

In Review: Amour Amour by Krista & Becca Ritchie

Reviewed in the United States on February 16, 2015

Verified Purchase

I'm going to keep my review for Amour Amour short and sweet since I read it over two months ago. Believe me, my failure to write a review has nothing to do with my enjoyment of the book. Because, really, it was absolutely spectacular. I just suck at writing reviews sometimes... especially when I love a book as much as I did this one.

I've been a fan of Krista & Becca Ritchie's books since I first picked up Addicted to You and binge read it while chomping on my fingernails because it was so freaking intense. I've fallen in love with all of their books and each of their characters. If you asked me what my favorite series is right now, I wouldn't hesitate before saying the Addicted series. It's everything. I want it to be a TV show. All that said, I was most excited about Amour Amour because I couldn't wait to see how they wrote characters that aren't Lo, Lily, Connor, Rose, Ryke and Daisy. I wanted to see if they could keep that same magic with new characters. And boy, did they ever.

Everything about Amour Amour was incredible. First and foremost, the characters! I loved Thora. Her character development throughout this book, as she chased her nearly impossible dream of performing, was phenomenal. Even if a reader can't relate to her specific dream, they can understand how she feels about it. Who doesn't have a dream to do what they love most? Nikolai is one of my new favorite book boyfriends. Hellllllo, sexy Russian. Gawd. He was strong and demanding, but a softie underneath. He was totally swoony. The secondary characters in this book? I loved pretty much every single one of them. This is one of the best casts I've read in a book so far. They're all totally worthy of their own books and I hope they get them. Not that I'm greedy or anything...

I loved the setting for this book. It was downright magical. The world-building was fantastic and I felt like I was living every performance with them. I could visualize every move. I've seen Amour Amour described as Cirque du Soleil meets Center Stage and that's just about the most perfect way EVER to describe it. It would make an amazing movie. The performances, characters and their development, romance and hot Russian men would make it the total visual package. I'd watch it. Over and over again.

I was completely enamored with everything about this book. I seriously couldn't walk away from it. Amour Amour can definitely stand on its own, but I would LOVE to see books from the perspectives of some of the other characters. (Or, you know, all of them.) And if I can't have them all, can I at least have a Timo book? Please? He was easily my favorite secondary character. But the others were fantastic too. Everything about this was. It was more than a book. It was an experience. I can't recommend it highly enough.

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